Protesters Rally Outside Iran’s World Cup Training Camp in Los Angeles

Political tension surrounded Iran’s preparations on Tuesday for its opening World Cup match against New Zealand. Dozens of anti-regime protesters, joined by Israelis showing solidarity, gathered outside the team’s training complex in Los Angeles and called for the downfall of the ayatollahs in Tehran. Outside the stadium used for Iran’s final training session, demonstrators marched with large Israeli, American and pre-1979 Iranian Lion and Sun flags, chanting through megaphones against the current government. The loudest repeated slogan was, “Down with terrorist.”

One Iranian woman at the protest, wrapped in Israeli and historic Iranian flags, said the national team does not represent Iranians. “We are here to let the world know that the football players from Iran do not represent the Iranian people. They represent the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic. They do not represent our people,” she said. She added that the protest would likely grow before the match and said, “We will be the voice of the people in Iran.” She also sent a direct message to Israeli and American leaders, thanking Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump for killing many senior regime figures and urging them, “Let’s finish the job! Let’s finish the job! Regime change in Iran!”

A second demonstrator, an Israeli named Maya, said she came to support the Iranian people. She said many Persians had supported Israelis since October 7 in Los Angeles, and that Israelis wanted to return that support. “We want to see Iran free and the Iranian people free,” she said. Asked about Trump’s policy and possible agreements with Iran, she said she was a strong Trump supporter and did not back any deal if it was only an agreement.

Inside the stadium, Iran’s team and staff tried to keep attention on football. Coach Amir Ghalenoei and striker Mehdi Taremi said they were playing for all Iranians and hoped to bring them joy. But when an AFP reporter asked whether the players would walk off if Lion and Sun flags were raised in the stands, an Iranian delegation member intervened and a FIFA representative cut off the question, saying the coach would not answer it. Ghalenoei then said generally that his players know how to ignore distractions.

Iran arrived in California after a roughly five-hour trip from Tijuana, Mexico, where it had set up camp because of visa problems for entry into the United States. The team is preparing for its Group F opener against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Los Angeles, sometimes called “Tehrangeles” by the diaspora, has the largest Iranian community in the United States, and many in that community actively oppose the government in Tehran.